Symbols such as plants, animals and colors, bring messages to us from the unconscious, writes Jolande Jacobi, an associate of Carl Jung’s, in Complex/Archetype/Symbol in the Psychology of C.G. Jung. But first, you have to know how to decode them. 

I was reminded of this when Covid was raging. I walk daily for exercise, to think, and to decode nature’s symbols. But that first year of the pandemic, when the rainy season in Portland was over, everyone in my ‘hood was outside. I met many of them, including one neighbor in particular, a man near my age and divorced, who lived several doors down. 

As we got to know each other, this neighbor—I’ll call him Jack—gave me the gift of vegetables all summer and more so, the gift of these symbols and their subtle messages. 

How Symbols Guide Us

In June, Jack invited me to see his vegetable garden and offered me an artichoke from his artichoke bush. Several artichokes came after that. When the artichoke season was nearing its end, he snipped a bloom and gave it to me. 

When I looked up the symbolic meaning of the artichoke, just for fun, I was stunned by how accurate, and personally relevant, it was. 

The artichoke, as a universal symbol, invites us to work with the heart chakra according to Anthony William, a medical intuitive, in Life-Changing Foods. It asks us to:

• Break down the protective armor around the heart

• Open up the soft, vulnerable center so we can give and receive. 

When Jack first offered his friendship, I pulled away, a knee-jerk reaction as a result of my history with men. The symbol of the artichoke showed me how that behavior was closing me off to what I longed for—relationships and community. It also showed me what I could do to change. 

 Symbols as Cosmic Nods

In the past year, I’ve gotten to know Jack better. He’s helped me with some “handyman” tasks. I’ve shared some of the bounty from my kitchen. He checks on me occasionally when a holiday rolls around, and I do the same. 

This summer, Jack’s artichoke bush once again bloomed. But this time, my heart was more open, thanks to a year of insights and deeper work triggered by the artichoke symbol. Indeed, when Jack and I recently went out to lunch, something we do occasionally now, he presented me with the artichoke’s bloom. Knowing the symbolic meaning of this beautiful blossom now, I smiled at the cosmic acknowledgement about my progress.

M. Carolyn Miller, MA, designs narrative- and game-based learning. She also writes and speaks about the power of story in our lives and world. www.cultureshape.com